Global Settings

The Global Settings menu allows you to decide what kind of geometry is generated and how it is generated.

It allows you to make adjustments to the plant as a whole.

Global Settings

Object Type

There are four settings: Polygon Object (the default), Spline Object, Line, and Wireframe.

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The four Object Type settings: Polygon Object, Line, Wireframe and Spline Object.

Polygon Object setting

A polygon object is generated for all layers of the plant.

Meshing Type

Set as Intersect, by default.

The alternative option is Joined.

This selection is only available in the Polygon Object setting.

Intersect

This is the fastest meshing mode.

Each layer (branch) is merely intersecting with the one before it.

Joined

The layers are joining, using more polygons, creating a detailed, cleaner, continuous mesh.

Meshing Type settings of Intersect and Joined.

Line setting

A display setting type, light in the viewport, giving you a more-responsive viewport performance while you are designing your plant.

This setting cannot be rendered as no actual polygons or splines are being generated.

Wireframe setting

This is also a display mode, giving you a much better representation of your design and a more-responsive viewport performance while you are designing your plant.

Once again, this cannot be rendered, as no polygons or splines are created.

Spline Object setting

An additional display mode, which will change the Trunk and Branch layers to a spline.

Again, this will aid viewport performance during plant design.

Subdivisions

Adds subdivisions; the higher the setting, the more subdivisions there will be and the cleaner, and more detailed, the mesh will become, especially where there are joins.

Subdivisions set at 2 in the Joined Meshing Type.

Maximum Join Level

The Maximum Join Level option is only available when the Meshing Type is set to Joined.

At the default setting of 0 (zero), every layer of the plant, in the hierarchy in the Plant Layers tab, is set to Joined.

If you change this setting to 1, your first plant layer (the Trunk layer) will be Joined to the next (the Branch layer); the other layers will be left in the Intersect mode.

At level 2, everything will be Joined, up to and including the second level.

At level 3, everything will be Joined, up to and including the third level.

This will continue, dependent on how many levels/layers you have in your plant.

Image to demonstrate the Maximum Join Level settings at level 1, 2 and 3. Because there are only three branch levels on this plant, the level 3 setting is identical to it being set at 0 (zero).

Organ Mode

There are four settings, which dictate how the organs (leaves, fruits, etc) are generated: Render Instances (the default), Polygons, Single Polygon and Multi-Instances.

Polygons

Generates an individual polygon object for each organ (eg. each individual leaf or fruit) to give you ultimate control and the ability to make each organ unique.

Single Polygon

All of the organs, as a whole, are represented by one polygon object.

Render Instances

A much more efficient way of producing the organs, with one polygon object created and all other organs being ‘instances’ of that one object.

Multi-Instances

Another efficient setting, with one reference object for the organ, then one multi-instance for all of the other organs.

Use Parent Radius

Enabled by default, this setting automatically selects the radius for Branch (child) layers proportionally to the radius of the Trunk (the parent) layer of the plant.

If you switch this off, you can change the individual radius settings for the Branch layers in the Plant Layers tab.

These setting options will not be visible with the Use Parent Radius switched on.

Global Scale

This slider scales up every part of the plant - globally - in perfect proportion.

Animation to demonstrate the Global Scale slider.

Global Radius

The Global Radius slider increases the radius of the trunk and the branches at a global level.

Animation to demonstrate the use of the Global Radius slider.

Use Resolution

Enabled by default, this setting dictates how many length segments the trunk and branches of the plant have, determined by the Segment Resolution size setting, below.

When the Segment Resolution setting is at 10cm, there will be a segment every 10cm.

Switching this off allows you to set the segment sizes individually for each layer of the plant.

These settings will then become available as a Segment Count option in the individual layer for trunk and, similarly, Length Segments options for each branch layer in the Plant Layers tab.

Segment Resolution

This option is only visible with the Use Resolution box ticked.

You can set the size of the segments globally with this.

The smaller the size, the more segments and, therefore, the higher the resolution.

Use Resolution enabled with a Segment Resolution setting of 15cm, giving a segment every 15cm.

Use Resolution enabled with a Segment Resolution setting of 2cm, giving a segment every 2cm.

Turbulence

This parameter is a global multiplier for existing trunk and branch turbulence, increasing or decreasing the level of deformation across the whole plant (ie, not just one layer).

Turbulence value set at 0.5 in this image.

Turbulence setting raised to 3.

Turbulence Scale

You can use this slider to increase or decrease the scale of turbulence globally.

Turbulence Scale set to **1.

Turbulence Scale raised to 5.

Furling

This setting will only have an effect if furling levels have already been set on the individual Trunk and Branch layers.

It will then act as a global adjustment to naturally curl the angle of the whole plant, increasing or decreasing the ‘local’ levels set.

Animation to demonstrate the effect of the Furling slider.

Twist

This parameter requires the Meshing Type to be set to Intersect, in order to respond.

As with the Furling and Turbulence settings, this slider will only have an effect if twisting levels have been set in the Plant Layers tab.

This slider then operates to globally refine the twisting of the plant.

Animation to demonstrate the effect of the Twist slider.

Phong Options

These options allow you to adjust the smooth shading between neighboring polygons.

Smooth shading can be applied across all polygons, or it can be restricted using the Angle Limit and Phong Angle settings. **

Angle Limit

When activated, this will use the Phong Angle value to **restrict where smoothing occurs. **

Phong Angle

You can change this to set the angle limit, up until which the neighboring surfaces will be smoothed.

Randomize

This option changes all random seeds within the plant layers.

You can use it to create unique copies of a plant that will be similar in structure to the original.

Open Preset Browser

All objects now have an Open Preset Browser button to complement the menu option.

This will open the preset browser if it is not already open.

For further information on the Preset Browser, click the link below.

Preset Browser